


fate’s entwined string

by electricangel



Category: Infinity Train (Cartoon)
Genre: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fluff, OOC, Other, Slow Burn, String of Fate, apex!jesse, rewritten characters, she/they lake (eventually)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-20
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-18 10:34:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 4,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28865598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/electricangel/pseuds/electricangel
Summary: apex! jesse au combined with a string of fate jesslake au because my brain is massive
Relationships: Jesse/Lake, Jesslake, Lake/Jesse, Mirror Tulip/Jesse, gambit/jesse
Comments: 3
Kudos: 11





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> jesse is ooc because the characters in this AU are slightly rewritten

the mall car was silent, the morning filled with nothing more than snoring children and the sound of footsteps as few awoke.

jesse stirred, raising an eyebrow as he noticed simon standing in the corner of his room, which wasn’t far from grace’s.

“hey,” simon said, stepping towards his bed. “i just came to wake you up. grace wanted to know if you were up for a raid.”

he shrugged. “i guess,” yawning, he stood up.

“great,” simon replied. “throw on some clothes and i’ll make you something to eat. we’re heading out in a few.”

he nodded, slipping on clean clothes. as he did, he glanced at his number. it was still below his wrist. he’d been on the train for over a year, but he joined the apex well over 4 months ago. he worked hard to get his number up, which earned him a lot more privileges; especially since he’d become one of grace and simon’s favorites with how hard he worked.

he stepped outside his room, waving to the other kids as they stepped out.

“jesse! good morning!” grace chirped, patting his head.

“morning, grace. i heard we’re doing a morning raid?”

“well! someone’s eager, eh? but the raid can wait a few minutes. we should eat.” jesse nodded, and grace handed him a muffin and orange juice. grace absentmindedly chewed on a piece of bread and water, and simon- who’d already eaten before he woke up jesse- tapped his foot against the ground, impatiently.

once grace and jesse had both finished, they headed out- followed by a group of fellow apex kids, and a null they planned to use as bait.

simon violently flung open the doors to the car, only to be met with a forest. a deer stood in the center, eating leaves.

“there’s nothing here but forest.” simon huffed. “maybe we should find another car to raid.”

“hold on.” one of the kids interrupted.

“ugh.. maria, what is it?” grace complained.

“i have an idea. watch this.” she charged at the deer, adding dumb accessories and climbing on it’s back as if she were a horseback rider.

jesse bit his lip as the deer cried out in pain, throwing her off.

“is this really the only null here? how boring,” grace yawned. “and it’s completely harmless, too. we could take this thing down easily.”

“well, at least it’s something,” simon mused. “i’m sure we’ll find better stuff in the next car. come on apex, trash this place up and then we’ll get moving.”

everyone nodded, and jesse glanced around for something to do. just as he was about to  
make his way to the deer, a silver girl stepped in front of him.

“get away from him.” she snapped.

“woah there, null. this isn’t your deer, is it?”

“of course not! he’s my friend. which is exactly why you aren’t allowed near him.” she pressed her hand against him, backing away.

“oh, and why’s that?” he pressed farther.

“because i’ve seen what your gang does to animals... and denizens... and i won’t let that happen to my friend.”

“and you really think YOU have any power over that? in the blink of an eye, my friends could be over here and have you and your- deer friend here- dealt with. you’re in no position of superiority over me, null.”

she looked away, her hand still placed on the deer’s side.

“jesse!” called simon. “what’s taking so long?”

“just a null. i’ll deal with her.” he replied.

“like hell you will. i dealt with the flecs all on my own. you think you’re a match for me?”

jesse threw his head back, laughing. “so you beat a couple scary null cops. i get it. but honestly, you’re outnumbered.”

she began to respond, but cut herself off.

“jesse! bring the nulls back here, we’re done with this car!” grace called.

“not a chance. this is his home. i won’t let you take him.”

jesse exhaled. “you’re really making this more difficult than necessary, null... look, i’ll let you leave, okay? just.. get out of here.”

“wh.. what...? why?”

“i don’t know. leave before i change my mind.” he snapped. she nodded, running off, making sure to avoid being seen by anyone else.

jesse ran back to the group.

“where are the nulls?” grace demanded.

“ah... the deer ran off before i could grab it. the girl.. looked pretty roughed up. i think she ran off somewhere. in any case, she won’t be a threat now.”

“you LET her GO?!” simon yelled. “jesse, i don’t know if you somehow forgot, but your number only goes up if you don’t follow the train’s set system. by letting her go, you’re feeding into it. AND you’re doing what the false conductor wants.”

“i know, i just.. sorry, simon. it won’t happen again.”

“i sure hope not. your number went down significantly, jesse. come on- let’s move to the next car.”

“i’m actually... not feeling too well. i think i’m gonna skip this next raid.”

before simon could protest, grace smiled and nodded.

“go head back. we’ll take care of the next car. get some rest.”

he nodded, slipping out of the car and walking back to the hideout. when he arrived back, he saw the girl from before- the deer had followed her.

“...uh... hey again,” jesse said awkwardly.

she hummed in reply, ignoring him.

“look, uh... sorry... whatever your name is... i was really uh.. harsh on you before.”

“yeah, whatever. you saved me, so, let bygones be bygones, right?”

“yeah.. uh.. what is your name, by the way?”

“you won’t know me long enough for that to matter.” she said simply.

“that’s true, but could you at least tell me so i have something to address you as?”

“i’m... ah...” she glanced at the chessboard nearby. “you can call me gambit.”

“gambit, eh...? cool name.”

“....”

“well, the apex will be back here shortly. you should leave before they get back... best you avoid getting wheeled by simon.”

gambit shuddered, nodding. she ran off in the opposite direction.

jesse glanced at his hand to find a red string tied around his finger.


	2. Chapter 2

———-

when simon returned, gambit had already left. jesse lay silently in his bed- waiting for something- anything- to happen. 

as if on cue, grace walked in. jesse tried to look tired. 

“hey,” she said softly. “how are you feeling?”

“uh... better,” he tried to sound as if he’d just woken up from a nap, although truthfully he’d simply been lying in bed, reading. 

“that’s good. we’re doing a few more raids, do you feel up  
to it?”

“i... uh... think i’m gonna rest a bit more.”

she nodded, walking over and patting his head.

“feel better, kid! i need my favorite apex member to be his best self!” she said with a chuckle. 

he smiled back at her. “sure thing, grace.” 

just as she was about to leave, jesse stopped her.

“wait, grace? uh.. i have a question.”

“what’s up?”

“do you know what the deal is with this string on my finger? it doesn’t bother me too much, but i don’t know where it came from, and it’s-“

“uh... jesse?”

“what?”

“there... is no string.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this chapter was kind of short! the next part will be longer and will be released this weekend :)


	3. gambit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> mmmm mango

—————-

“what?! what do you mean there’s no string? you mean you can’t see it?”

“look, jesse, i don’t know what kind of sickness you have, but you must be hallucinating. do you want me to take you to the hospital car?”

“since when was there a-“

“look.... just... get back to sleep, alright? i’ll check back in a bit to see if you’re still.. hallucinating. mkay?”

“wait-“

with a sigh, jesse was once again met with silence and confusion. 

———-

when jesse left his room once more, all the apex had dispersed, all of them except lucy had gone off to raid another car. 

gambit had returned again, sitting on the escalator. jesse approached her with a sigh.

“what are you doing back here...? i already told you it’s not safe.”

“believe you me, apex. i don’t wanna be here anymore than you want me to be, but...”

“what?”

“i came back to ask you about this string... do you know anything about it?”

“you have one too? i asked simon and grace and neither of them know anything about it.”

“damn... well, guess i’ll try and find some scissors and see if i can cut it off.” 

“hey, uh... sorry for being such a jerk to you the other day... you might be a null, but... you’re very personable.”

“i’m not a null.” she snapped. “i’m a person.” 

“...right... anyway, what even are you? you don’t look like a robot... or any other type of null i’ve seen before...”

“i don’t owe you an explanation.”

jesse exhaled, irritated. “i’m just trying to have a conversation. you’re the one who keeps coming back here and talking to me, what else do you want me to do?”

“you cant seriously expect forgiveness that easily. you threatened to ‘get rid’ of me. just because you randomly started acting nice to me doesn’t mean i have to forgive you.”

“....” jesse wanted to reply, but he was at all loss for words. as much as he hated to admit it, she was right. 

“JESSE!” a loud voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

“wh-“

“what on earth are you doing with that null?! bring her here.”

before she could protest, jesse dragged her to simon. 

“i thought you said she escaped. did you lie so you could get all buddy buddy? you’re an apex member, cosay. not a null apologist.”

“you’re seriously this mad at him for a simple mistake? he couldn’t have known that i’d come back anyway. you somehow always look for an excuse to blame someone else for something you could’ve easily done yourself, huh?”

“gambit-“

simon lowered his eyebrows, furious. he lunged forwards, grabbing her by the shirt aggressively. 

“listen here, null. you don’t know me, and you don’t know jesse. you don’t know my reasoning, so i suggest you keep quiet before your short life is cut short, yeah?”

“you’re funny. i don’t have to take orders from you. and honestly, neither does he. i’m willing to bet he’s being forced to do like, half the stuff you tell him to.”

“you don’t know shit.”

“never said i did.”

simon let out an ‘ugh’ sound before continuing.

“jesse, null, get out of here. i don’t wanna see either of you again.”

“wha-“

“i’m serious. jesse, you’re not welcome in the apex anymore. remove your symbol and leave.”

“....yes, simon.” without another word, jesse removed the lipstick from his face and exited the car.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ayo it’s getting more intense 💃🏻

———

the outside of the mall car was cold and dry. the air was musty, making jesse’s throat dry.

“what now...” he muttered to himself as he walked alongside gambit. 

“hey, uh... sorry.” she said, gripping her arm. “i... still don’t like you, but... i shouldn’t have stepped in like that.”

“yeah... whatever...” he grumbled. “i... appreciated it, you know. nobody’s ever.. stood up for me like that before.”

“heh, you thought i’d just let him be a jerk to you? we aren’t exactly friends, but nobody deserves that. not even.. well... you.”

“what’s THAT supposed to mean? you don’t even know me.”

“well tulip did!! you tried to KILL her!” she gasped at her own words, stepping back. “i’ve said too much... ugh. just.. go away. go cause more damage to other people. that’s what you do best.”

“h-hey! no need to get so aggressive, null. i don’t even know who this ‘tulip’ is.”

before she could reply, the deer stood in front of them.

“move out of the way, deer. we- huh?”

the ground beneath them began to slip away. gambit was paralyzed with fear.

“NUL- GAMBIT! RUN!” jesse cried, having already reached the other side.

“i- i... i cant move...” they breathed out. the ground disappeared, making them fall with it.

“GAMBIT!!” he cried, reaching for her hand. “i’ve got you. don’t let go, okay?”

she nodded, pulling herself up along with him. they collapsed back where they started, breathing heavily.

“you okay?” he asked, his number decreasing.

“yeah... hey.. look...!”

his number had decreased significantly once again, having returned to it’s place on his hand. he cried out in fear.

“no... no...! what am i doing wrong? i cant... i cant let it...”

“woah there, jesse. that’s a good thing. what have they been teaching you in the apex? your number is supposed to go down.”

“wha.. but... once it goes down, you...”

“...exit the train. that’s the whole point.”

“what? no it’s not. you’re supposed to take over the train, and rid the robot of it’s rule.”

“i’m sorry? your little cult wants to have complete dictatorship over every passenger on the train? funny.”

“hey...! you don’t know any-“

“jesee...”

“i was still talking! like i was saying-“

“no- jesse- behind you!” 

a ghom screeched from behind him, gracefully pouncing on him. she watched in horror as the ghom began to suck the soul from him, rendering jesse defenseless. 

in a last ditch effort, she kicked the ghom back into the desert. jesse gripped his chest, panting, tears streaming down his face.

“why did you.. why did you save me?” he asked, barely audible. 

“i... you thought i’d just let that thing kill you? i’m not... THAT bad of a person.”

“you.. really don’t seem to be a bad person at all.”

“...” she looked away. “well... we should get moving before those things come back. maybe deer can help.”

“...you named him deer? like, you just call him the same thing as his species?”

“uh.. what else would i call him? now come on, those ghoms look hungry.” the deer yawned, revealing where it had gone during the attack.

“there you are, bud! can you take us over to the other side of the train?”

“pfft. he’s a deer, he can’t-“ 

the deer shook himself off and sighed, stretching his body until it reached the other side.

“heh! thanks, deer! come on!” she ran across the deer slowly but carefully, doing so with class. 

“come on!” she called. “we should get moving!”

“doesn’t this hurt him?” he called back.

“nah! he’s fine! come on before he falls!”

jesse ran across, losing his footing before he could reach gambit. luckily, she was there to help. 

“alright!” she said, releasing his hand. “let’s get moving.”

“hey.. wait a second.. your string..”

“my...” she glanced at her hand. the string, which was barely wrapped around her hand before, had grown in length and began to take shape. similarly, jesse’s had done the same.

“what the...”

“look, i don’t care what this string does. scissors exist! the train has all sorts of dumb stuff, it’s gotta have a pair. come on, let’s just get moving before you somehow make things worse.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> jesslake is such a slow burn here sorry y’all


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> jesse needs a snickers man

______  
the tension between the pair grew more awkward each car. with no luck finding any way to cut off the string attached to her hand, gambit grew more and more irritated. “this damn train has flying PIGS, mutated horses, and a car full of talking dogs, but they don’t have a pair of bloody scissors?” she grumbled to herself. jesse continued walking silently rather than replying. after awhile, they’d reached a car that was violently similar to a hardware store. gambit sighed in relief. “here we go, this place outta have some scissors.” she smiled to herself as she began to look around, stuffing every nook and cranny. “here we go!” she exclaimed after awhile. holding the scissors proudly, she moved the object closer to her finger, and... _snip_. the string fell off with ease, and she sighed in relief before it appeared on her hand once again. “what?” she mumbled, trying to cut it off again. a pile of string formed the more she tried, with no luck. she threw the scissors on the ground, exasperated. “of course!” she grumbled. “the one time something good happens to me, it just HAS to turn out shitty! this train hates me.” once again, jesse was silent. he didn’t know if she was just talking to herself, or if she expected a response. not as if either one mattered to him, anyway. “whatever. let’s just go.” she pushed her way through the exit, the deer nudging her sympathetically. “maybe it’s some sort of curse? i’m sure there’s someone here who could-“ “can it, mush-for-brains. the last thing i need to hear is your annoying ass voice right now, alright?” _ouch_. “well, fine! you know, maybe simon was right! you nulls are nothing but rude bitches who cant ever be trusted! maybe i should just leave you here to be turned to a pile of silver slush!” jesse threw his hands up angrily. “like i care! leave! maybe i’ll finally be at peace with myself then.” “maybe i will!” he snapped. “fine! then get out of here!” she fumed, outweighing his voice. “fine.” he sighed. “i am. later, null.” gambit turned away rather than responding. and to fill that empty response, both party’s strings began to take a new shape, growing less, and tightening.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> awooga

______

jesse sighed, continuing his journey through each car. when he glanced down at his hand again, he’d noticed the string had tightened, making his finger swell and bleed.

but he ignored it. whatever dumb prank this was, obviously it wasn’t ending any time soon. may as well get used to it. 

when he entered the next car, he was met with shelves of books. 

maybe some reading would clear his clouded mind. he picked up a book from a nearby shelf and sat on a small, cushioned chair to read. 

after about an hour, though, an older woman approached him.

“good evenin’, young man! how’s your day going?”

“alright, i guess.” he replied. 

“say... d’ you happen to know why there’s a red string around that there finger of yours?”

jesse gasped, glancing upwards. the lady winked at him, and motioned for him to follow her.

“come with me. we should talk in private.” 

jesse followed her to a spacious office, where more bookshelves painted the walls. he sat next to the woman, who looked on at him in turn.

“i’m sure you must have a lot of questions.” she began. 

he nodded in reply. 

“for starters, how about we begin with that string on your finger, eh?”

“is it some kind of lame prank? because i’m tired of it.”

“far from it, darling. that’s a fate string.”

“a... a what..?”

“a fate string.” she repeated. “a string of fate. it essentially indicates that you have a soulmate. whomever the string is attached to is said soulmate.”

“..how come grace couldn’t see my string, but you can?”

“the string only appears to those with soulmates.”

“then how come i can’t see yours?”

“because you can only see your soulmate’s string. i can see yours because- while i do have a soulmate, he’s passed on. when that happens, you can see other people’s strings. a little weird, but i’ve never thought to question it.”

“so... i can only see my soulmate’s string..” he repeated under his breath. “but why does it keep tightening?”

“well, dear, the string grows tighter when you have a soulmates quarrel.”

“a what...”

“a soulmates quarrel. when you fight frequently with your soulmate, the string tightens. of course, arguments are normal in relationships, but the more there are, the tighter the string becomes. too many fights are unhealthy, you know.”

“so... you have to get along with your soulmate in order for it not to tighten? that seems... pushy?”

“well, the string doesn’t expect you to get along all the time, of course. it only tightens when the quarrel happens at an unhealthy frequency.”

“...oh.”

“i don’t mean to step in, hon, but have you seen another string...? perhaps, even, have you had a quarrel?”

“i mean.. yeah.. but i have my reasons.”

the lady glanced at him expectantly, so he sighed and began.

“it’s just.. gambit.. she’s a null. nulls cant be trusted- and she’s proven to be a threat already. she’s dealt with two mirror police officers already, and...” he trailed off. 

“is that all? are you sure that wasn’t in self defense?”

“i don’t.. i don’t know. i haven’t exactly asked her...” he rubbed his arm. 

“tell me, why do you think she’s a threat? solely because she’s a denizen? have you taken the time to talk to her and learn a bit more about her instead of jumping to such broad conclusions?”

“simon and grace said that nulls can’t be trusted.”

“ah, simon. you know that hatred is formed from a bias, correct? a null abandoned him- not on purpose, even- and then he concluded they’re all bad. he truly doesn’t have evidence that they are, he just wants a human-rules-null world.”

“....” she was right. simon was biased. but this whole time... “i’ve known simon and grace for years now. they’re like my family. i cant not trust them.”

“i understand that, dear. believe me, i do. but have you truly met a single denizen that’s as they claim them to be?”

“i... guess not. no.”

“and do you think it’s fair to discriminate others just because they aren’t like us?”

“i guess not...”

“wonderful. then i think you’re ready to get this string business taken care of.”

“wait..! does the string ever come off?”

“in due time, my child. in due time.”

“so you’re suggesting i.. apologize to gambit? but i’ve already tried. she got upset with me.”

“not just apologize, you need to admit you were wrong. show her that you aren’t there to hurt her, and then perhaps she’ll open up to you. but don’t threaten her again, lest you want your finger sawed off.”

“how did you..”

“ah! ta ta! no more time to waste, eh?” she shoved him out the door, closing it with a slam. 

with a sigh, jesse made his way out of the car, heading in the direction they saw gambit head towards.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> some backstory as to why jesse is as rude as he is + the dumb kids finally start to get along 
> 
> also yes nate is dead lmao sorry

______

it took longer than he anticipated to reach her. when he did, he found her sitting beside the door to a car. she had a look on their face that seemed almost upset.

“...hey.”

she glanced up, then looked away.

“look, can we talk?”

she hesitated before nodding. 

“i wanted to say.. i’m sorry. this whole time, i’ve been completely unfair to you. and i know, you don’t have to forgive me right away, but.. let me explain some things.”

curious now, gambit glanced up, meeting his eyes.

“i’m only on this train because i hurt my brother. it was a bad decision on my part. but after i got on the train, he... followed me. and... when we got on, we were immediately chased. it was by a large number of denizens. they kept chasing us until they had my brother in their grasp, and...” he paused, his breath catching in his throat. gambit couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy before pushing it down. 

“...they killed him. right in front of my eyes. i went on the run for a long time after that, and avoided any contact i could. i was alone. any time i saw a denizen, i’d run. i couldn’t help but think of my brother any time i saw one. after a year of running, grace and simon found me and took me in. they treated me like their younger brother- and they told me stories about other denizens- nulls, as they called them- and how they hurt others. i was naive, and i believed every one. i came to not trust nulls, and that’s what caused me to be so.. harsh with you.”

she opened her mouth to speak before jesse cut her off.

“i’m sorry. i really am.” 

“...i’m sorry, too. i shouldn’t have been so rude to you. and.. i’m really sorry about your brother.”

both of them glanced down at their fingers to see that the strings had loosened. jesse sighed in relief.

“you didn’t happen to find out what the strings are about, did you?”

“uh... about that.”


	8. deleting after i post the next chapter

hi everyone! i’m taking a small break from this fic! i have some other ones i wanna start that i’m more motivated for. i’ll be back to update when i can!


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